This thought experiment explores what would have happened if the Edmonton Oilers had never drafted Nail Yakupov first overall in the 2012 NHL Draft.
The Edmonton Oilers’ selection of Nail Yakupov in 2012 is a well-known and discussed topic. Yakupov is widely considered as the biggest NHL Draft bust in history. So, we won’t be piling on that rhetoric in this thought experiment.
Instead, we will be looking at an alternative reality.